


When I Heard About Adrian

by Meme_Witch



Category: Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard - Rick Riordan
Genre: Angst, Dreams, Gen, Genderfluid Character, Loss, Magnus POV, Memories, Nightmares, Old Friends, Suicide
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-18
Updated: 2019-02-18
Packaged: 2019-10-30 23:11:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 685
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17837825
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Meme_Witch/pseuds/Meme_Witch
Summary: Magnus recalls a few memories of Alex mentioning her late friend Adrian.





	When I Heard About Adrian

When I first heard about Adrian, I didn't know what to say. We were making our way to Naglfar, the Ship of the Dead, and desparately trying to ignore the voices of lost loved ones calling out to us from Helheim. I can still hear my mom's voice echoing in my mind... and Uncle Randolph's. And... Alex? She heard Adrian's. The voice of a friend who committed suicide. 

The voices were haunting, harrowing to the core of my being, and I don't think that moment will ever fully leave my mind. I'm sure Alex feels much the same way about the whole ordeal.

When I first heard about Adrian, I was... too focused on my own problems to pay attention.

-

The second time I heard about Adrian, I wanted to say something, but I knew it wasn't the right time. Alex was asleep in my arms. We were travelling at the time, taking a night away from Hotel Valhalla and the Chase Space in a small vacation town in Western Massachusetts that I always used to love as a child. His calls to Adrian were soft, peaceful, perhaps barely even a whisper. Were I to even breathe, I doubt I could have heard his calls over the sound of air entering my own lungs. 

I knew I needn't wake him, it wasn't the right time to say something. To this day I wonder what exactly he might have been dreaming that night. Was it a good dream? I certainly hope so.

The second time I heard about Adrian, it just wasn't the right time. He was just too peaceful to disturb.

-

The third time I heard about Adrian, it was an accident. We were at the Chase Space, and Alex had bumped into an old friend of hers. I guess the two of them got to talking, and didn't hear the door close whenever I showed up a bit later on. I was on the stairs when I heard them. I almost went all the way up, I almost opened the door at the top to introduce myself to this new voice I didn't recognize... but then I overheard the content of their conversation. 

"Adrian... he was always so kind." I heard the emotions behind Alex's voice, and I knew now wasn't a time to be bothering her or barging in. "I really miss him." "I miss him too, Alex."

The third time I heard about Adrian, I wasn't needed. It wasn't a situation that I needed to intrude upon, it was between Alex and her old friend.

-

The fourth time I heard about Adrian, it was a lot like the second. Alex was asleep, and I hadn't quite gotten there yet. He was sprawled across my body, smashing me between the bed and a nearby wall. I didn't really mind. That's just how he tended to sleep, and I'd gotten used to it pretty quickly. Honestly, a night with Alex is disappointing if he _doesn't_ end up in some wild position halfway through the night.

But this night, Alex's calls to Adrian weren't soft, and they weren't peaceful. On this night, his calls to Adrian sounded scared and so very very lonely. I knew he must have been having a bad dream, and I couldn't let it go on. I went ahead and shoved his body off of mine. It was enough to break him out of his nightmare, but he remained asleep, so we didn't talk.

The fourth time I heard about Adrian, I did what I could to help, though I don't believe Alex will ever know I did.

-

The fifth time I heard about Adrian? Well, it hasn't happened yet. I'm sure I'll hear about him again eventually, I'm sure we'll talk about him someday, when the time is right. There's eternity ahead of us after all, but the time just hasn't come yet. Alex isn't the world's biggest fan of vulnerability or opening up, and isn't exactly the world's greatest communicator when it comes to her own emotions either.

But when she's ready to talk? I'll be there for her.

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading  
> \- hannah


End file.
